Super Bowl Pets

Most pet owners know not to let their furry friends have chocolate, grapes, raisins, anything with onion or garlic, and anything that contains the artificial sweetner Xylitol. But some of our favorite game day snacks can harm our pets in unexpected ways. Keeping our four-footed family members safe will make for a better day for everyone!

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This is a big weekend for football fans because tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday, when the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots meet to determine which one is the best. Even pets can get excited during a game, especially when their owners are excited. What a pet likes best about watching football is the enthusiasm of family members and friends, and of course, the snacks. After all, what’s a Super Bowl party without food? The Center for Pet Safety has some suggestions for keeping your furry friend safe while you enjoy the big game.

Alcohol should never be given to an animal, so be careful to keep drinks out of reach and dispose of containers properly. And don’t give your buddy bones to chew on, especially chicken wings or other bones which can splinter. Your team may be winning but you could be making an emergency trip to the veterinarian’s office.

Another great suggestion is to be careful when you dispose of the empty bags that your chips and pretzels came in. According to the Center for Pet Safety, Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest day for potato chip consumption. But chip bags are at the top of the list as a cause for pet suffocation. A pet sticks its head inside the bag trying to get to the crumbs, the bag that is engineered to keep air out. The animal can’t breathe and can’t get the bag off its head. An easy way to ensure your pet’s safety is to cut off the bottom of the bag. It could literally save your best friend’s life.

Take a moment to visit their website, CenterForPetSafety.org for more tips on keeping your four-legged companion happy and healthy, especially on Super Bowl Sunday.

For those of you who don’t want to watch football, there are at least two other choices for pet people. The cable channel, Animal Planet will be airing Puppy Bowl XIII, complete with a Kitty Half-time show. The Hallmark channel offers an alternative for cat lovers as they air Kitten Bowl IV – no dogs allowed!

Remember what they say – it’s only a game. Keeping your best friend happy and healthy will help to make every day “super”, when you’re speaking of pets.